#dpxtaf

Sam ends up having to reassess how she goes about conveying her beliefs to other people and is forced to take a different approach with the Addamses - one that's less pushy and condescending and actually broaches the topic in a somewhat open-minded manner.

Just imagine the trio getting back from a particularly long stay with the Addams family and the entirety of Amity Park is convinced they've been overshadowed.

Danny's chilled out and still running on the good vibes he picked up from the Addamses and now that inexplicable, foreboding sense of dread that seeps into the room whenever he's present has noticeably reduced.

Tucker, who'd been taken under the gracious wing of Mr Gomez Addams - who just so happened to be the smoothest man Tucker had ever met - had sworn off his creepy attempts at picking up every girl in Casper High. Suddenly he's opening doors in a completely polite and friendly manner, without a single uncalled-for pickup line. He's finally keeping a respectful distance from the girl's changing rooms, and worst of all he managed to make a tasteful joke that actually got a genuine round of laughter from the unsuspecting cheer squad.

Sam had had four separate opportunities to rise up and berate her classmates on various "controversial" topics but chose to remain quiet. And when Paulina had decided to poke the bear and jokingly asked if she was sick, she had replied with a polite, non-sarcastic, measured response that had asserted that she was in perfect health and had gone on to outline her stance in a logical, but firm and almost open-minded series of dot points that she delivered without a single scathing remark about Paulina's recently whitened teeth or 'superficial' personality.

Tucker's first impression of the Addams family is that the whole lot of em are weird - which says a lot considering he's lived his whole life in Amity Park. He thought their whole dark and gloomy schtick was gonna be like Sam's but it turns out they're on a whole other level of creepy and messed up. They weren't the worst people he's ever met and he's relieved that Danny's finally got relatives who seem to actually care about his wellbeing - stupidly rich relatives who weren't obsessive, egotistical, psychopaths who were willing to donate a little green without any strings attached.

But their butler moans and moves like he was just yanked out of a grave and somehow the guy might actually be taller than Mr Fenton.

Their kids are weird but not so bad. Wednesday's dreary attitude could give Sam a run for her money and Pugsley had seemed nice till he'd pulled out a hack saw and an entire string of small explosives from seemingly nowhere (Tucker was finally seeing the Fenton family resemblance).

He had downright refused to step foot into that house after almost having a heart attack from his first encounter with the reanimated, disembodied hand that's got free range of the entire estate.

The grandmother belongs either in an asylum or an urn. She wears so many rings and necklaces and odd pieces of jewellery that she jingles and jangles with every step, yet somehow manages to pop up right behind you every time you turn around.

And Uncle Fester had straight-up serial killer vibes.

The only upside seemed to be the parents.

Mrs Morticia Addams had a figure reminiscent of Jessica Rabbit and wore a dress so tight he almost went half ghost. Sharp features, blood-red lipstick, legs for days and a hauntingly elegant presence. She was like one of those sirens of the deep. Not the kind that befriended seagulls or made questionable deals with tentacled sea witches, but the kind that sat poised on rocks and lured sailors to their watery graves.

He'd initially been so bewitched by Mrs Addams' dark, gleaming eyes that he'd ignored the other dark and handsome figure beside her.

Mr Gomez Addams was a man befitting his shiny cuff links, dapper suit and expensive cologne. He had greeted them with a mesmerising accent and dreamy bedroom eyes.

Mrs Addams stood, poised like a panther, held by a man who walked like he owned the world, and Tucker found himself suddenly besotted with the idea of unhinged grandmothers, murderous uncles, rabid cousins and the lot.

Growing up with ghosts being treated like parasites and vermin to being welcomed into a family where spirits are actually treated with respect and empathy is mindboggling. The Addamses even have a deep understanding of ghostly customs and compulsions, yet still treat them as individuals and not mindless, Obsession driven entities.

Speaking of Obsessions........ It's honestly surprising that Danny's Obsession hadn't gone berserk from the sheer amount of weaponry mounted on the walls. He's core remained comfortable even when he'd found out about Wednesday's collection of pet spiders, the family lion that guards the vault, even Pugsley's pair of red-bellied piranhas, and the drawers filled with poisons situated right next to the spice cabinet in the kitchen.

He once walked in on Wednesday trying to embalm her brother and his Obsession hadn't made so much as a peep.

(He later realises that it's because none of them actually intended to seriously harm one another. It's nothing but fun and games and they all have each other's best interests at heart).

But one afternoon, Danny is sitting at the kitchen table working his way through a mountain of overdue homework while Morticia sits at the other end stitching what looks like a onesie with too many arms.

He's got his nose inches away from the pages in front of him when Morticia lets out a soft hum. It's enough to break his concentration and he lifts his head. Bright red drips from her finger, running down the length of her bony knuckles. The world comes to a screeching halt and for the first time since stepping foot into the Addams' residence, Danny's Obsession flares to life.

His chest is suddenly too tight and he leaps from his chair. Grabbing the nearest rag, he flings himself across the table and presses it against Morticia's bleeding fingers with shaking hands. His laboured breathing echos around the room and it all comes crashing down.

His eyes zero in on his left hand and the imprints it leaves on Morticia's pale wrist. He comes back to himself all at once. Awareness and rational thought finally pierce through the forefront of his mind and has him jerking back. His chair is toppled on the ground with paper and pens scattered about. The table's been pushed askew and he's still holding Morticia's wrist.

Morticia is silent. Her eyebrows are raised but she's calm and composed. His eyes finally catch sight of her sewing, no longer laid gently in her lap but tossed to the ground and crumpled.

Danny flees before she can even rise from her chair.

He skips dinner and hides in his room. Embarrassment burns under his skin. He hadn't lost control like that since he first turned ghost - not since he'd made the harrowing discovery that he had an Obsession. Danny lies awake that night, invisible in his bed, ignoring the quiet knocking on his bedroom door.

He waits until everyone's finished their breakfast the next morning before finally making his way into the kitchen. He freezes at the sight of Morticia sitting in the empty room, in the same seat as before. The table has been pushed straight and his homework has been piled neatly on the kitchen counter. He almost runs for it, but Morticia offers him a smile and pulls out the chair next to her. On the table in front of the offered seat is a plate piled high with eggs, bacon and sausages. He slowly makes his way to the table and takes his seat. He eats with his head down and Morticia doesn't offer any conversation. The room is silent except for Danny's chewing and the soft rustle of fabric as Morticia continues her sewing. Danny's grateful for the quiet.

He's focused on shovelling down fork fulls of greasy potatoes when he catches a glint of something metallic in his periphery.

Morticia sits, poised and graceful, sewing something Danny thinks might be a hat. On her thumb, she wears a thimble.

When Fester finally wakes up he does so with a howl. He's absolutely overjoyed! It's been years since anyone's managed to scare him that good and insists Danny do it again.

It ends up starting up an old game that Gomez and his brother used to play when they were much younger, which involved a competition of who could give the best scare. Gomez used to be the reigning champ and Fester claims it's how he lost all his hair.

Now the brothers are insisting on a team-up, with Fester claiming Danny for his own team and Wednesday and Pugsley joining their father. Danny has no idea how he managed to get dragged into all of this, but Morticia muses that it's lovely seeing the whole family getting together to have a friendly competition. Grandmama insists there be a prize and Thing offers to keep score.

Morticia asks if Danny prefers to be called a doorway spirit or a liminal one.

Tucker faints at the sight of Thing scuttling down the hallway.

Tucker's also terrified of Grandmama - especially after finding an eyeball in his porridge. The incident was almost enough to make him give up eating meat. Almost.

Vlad is furious when he finds out that Danny's got other insanely rich, overly eccentric relatives. Danny mocks Vlad by saying he's finally got competition.

Sam is in love with Morticia's garden and her vast collection of carnivorous plants.

Morticia helps Sam work through some of her internalised misogyny and even teaches her how to create the most divine smoky eye and how to replicate her signature deathly-pale, post-mortem complexion.

Danny feels incredibly relaxed at the Addams' residence. Years of making the place as comfortable as possible for their weekly seances have left the entire area as ghoul friendly as possible. There's even a slightly higher concentration of ambient ectoplasm in the air.

Danny gets gifted a handmade crossbow with a complete set of silver bolts which he later re-gifts to Sam. He doesn't have any use for it and definitely doesn't want his parents to think he's taken an interest in any kind of hunting/weaponry.

Sam wishes her family was more like the Addamses.

Sam doesn't count - she's goth and collects skull-shaped buttons and is intrigued by the spooky and the occult. But her fascination is superficial in that she's still alive and will never understand the true meaning of death until she herself makes that final journey. Like most people Danny knows (including himself), she was raised in a society in which death is viewed as a dreadful finality.

Danny avoids the topic of his death/resurrection - so does everyone around him. He didn't want to die, it just happened. He died but he's still here and now he's a mistake that can't be undone.

Sam, along with everyone else who knows, shares a sense of guilt that weighs them down and leaves unspoken words festering between them. It's heartbreaking, but there isn't anything that can be done about it. So sometimes they'll crack a joke and have a laugh and Danny will make an inappropriate number of puns for the given situation, but for the most part they all avoid the elephant in the room.

The Addamses are a whole different ball park.

They speak openly about his liminality and take every aspect of half dead existence in stride. Jazz has made a number of unsuccessful attempts at getting Danny to open up. She's patient and Danny loves her - but the Addamses don't approach it like there's anything wrong with him.

They understand that Death is the greatest equalizer and that without it life has no meaning. Truth be told, the Addamses are a family filled with joy. They respect death and in doing so are able to live their lives to the fullest. There is no fear of the unknown, just an understanding that not all things require an immediate answer and that not all things need to be known just yet.

They speak about Death and the deceased with reverence - without grief or mourning. They see the joy even in death and it's completely different to anything Danny has ever encountered. In Amity, death is a constant reminder. Restless spirits are looming threats that haunt every corner and darkened alleyway. In Amity Park, ghosts are nothing but harsh reminders of what's to come.

But the Addamses speak of death as if it were any other milestone and not the final stretch of a home run. Like moving out for the first time or starting a new job - some things can be scary, but dying is nothing but a change of scenery and becoming a ghost is but a pit stop along the way.

Of course, ghosts don't form from people who lived fulfilling, happy lives. They’re formed from pain and suffering so deep it becomes ingrained into your soul, leaving it tethered and unable to move on.

But what is an Obsession if not a chance for peace? A final opportunity for all those who never had the chance in life.

They don't prefer Phantom over Fenton, but they don't shy away from his ghostly side.

Doorways spirits aren't meant to be - but Danny is and will ever be the only one. He's a paradox that not even Clockwork can undo, too knotted and tangled to ever come loose.

The Addamses don't pretend to understand him - if anything they have as many questions as he does. They lend him books from their library and let him star gaze on their roof.

Like imagine them being lost distant relatives that stumble across each other. Maybe the Addamses stumble across Danny first. Maybe Danny's out and about and ends up being drawn to their spooky, hella haunted mansion. Maybe he's in the Zone and he finds an ancestor who points him in the direction of the Addams' abode - or even better - maybe all the smaller ghosts he comes across turn around and run the moment they realise he's a Fenton - AKA the most notorious ghost hunters in the Zone - but one ghost takes one good look at him in all his freaky halfa glory and goes, "you're an Addams, aren't ya?", and Danny is confused AF.

-----------BUT COULD YALL IMAGINE!

The Addamses would be overjoyed to have a liminal spirit in the family!!!!!

Morticia would offer Danny a plot in the family cemetery and triple check that the house and surrounding areas were free of blood blossom - not that there were any there to begin with.

Gomez would throw an arm around his shoulder and teach him how to throw knives and cheat at poker. He'd find out that Danny has to walk to school in the mornings now that Jazz isn't there to drive him anymore and he'd insist that Lurch would be able to drop him and pick him up, anytime, anyplace, anywhere. Gomez insists that Lurch would even be able to find his way around the Ghost Zone so Danny wouldn't have to fly home after another one of Skulker's traps.

At first Danny would be a little creeped out by Fester - mostly due to Fester's subpar social skills and tendency to linger in the darker corners of the room. But then Fester offers him the room next to his own and teaches him new card games and shows him how to fish using sticks of dynamite. His lack of social awareness and giddy attitude reminds him of his dad.

Wednesday reminds him of Sam. She's fiercely protective and has a morbid, dry sense of humour. She comes up with a scarily efficient 13 step plan to eradicate the A listers. She has a never ending list of questions for him but never pushes the sensitive topics - mostly she just wants to know if he's come across any of their ancestors yet. He's surprised by how well they get along.

Pugsly never fails to try and involve him in whatever lethal games he and Wednesday often play. Danny introduces him to Cujo and the two of them spend an entire evening running through the cemetery digging up bones and coming up with ways to use his size-changing abilities in pranks. Danny's just glad there's finally someone else Cujo will listen to when he's not around.

Grandmama Frump seems slightly insane but it's not anything he isn't used to. She keeps giving him strange smelling stews and teas that he's only a little hesitant to drink. She reassures him that the stew has all the necessary nutrients for the recently deceased. He has no idea what that means but judging by the colour it's got a healthy dose of ectoplasm added in and he isn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth - even if he's yet to ask where exactly she managed to get that much ecto in the first place. The tea - he later finds out - is nothing but a mixture of dried herbs and flowers. A family recipe that never fails to put him to sleep.

He's a little apprehensive when he finds out that the Addamses have a butler - his mind immediately jumps to Vlad and how most insanely rich weirdos must treat their employed help. He soon witnesses the way they treat Lurch with as much love and respect as they treat each other and all his doubts fade away like smoke. One day after a surprisingly brutal attack by the box ghost - which leaves his pride more than a little bruised - he finds Lurch parked outside the alleyway he used to transform back into Fenton. He already knows that trying to make conversation with the guy is useless and that he'll only reply in half mumbled grunts and moans. He's sore and dripping in foul smelling puddle water and doesn't have the energy to even try turning away, so he just sighs and slides his way into the back seat. He thinks he's being taken back home to Fentonworks or even back to the Manor to be patched up, but he drifts off and when he wakes up they're already in line at the Nasty Burger drive through with Lurch handing a wad of cash to the wide-eyed worker in the payment window. He ends up with enough food to crowd the backseat along with a mountain of napkins to dry himself off and a dozen frosty milkshakes to soothe his busted lip and two black eyes. He offers Lurch a handful of fries and is given a crooked half-stiff smile in return. When he does eventually get dropped off - after about an hour or two of driving around in circles so he could finish his meal undisturbed, only stopping to pick up a harried looking Sam and Tucker off the side of the road, who had apparently been looking for him since school ended more than half an hour ago - he's given a firm pat on the head and a slip of paper with a barley legable phone number scrawled in red ink. The next time he stops by the Manor he makes sure to pick up an extra large strawberry fudge shake and discovers that Lurch has a rather large sweet tooth and an equally large grin.

But I bet that the moment they find out that Maddie and Jack have threatened their son with genuine bodily harm they would 100% be willing to donate their personal guillotine for the good of the family. Cause ya know, torture and dismemberment is only fun if everyone involved is having a good time. And honestly, the manor has so many rooms that are collecting perfectly good dust with no one to put it to good use. The Addamses look out for each other, regardless of how distantly related or how seemingly dead you are.

Danny can't wait to introduce Jazz.

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I actually wrote this as a reblog of the first DP x Addams post that I came across (@limbless-ghosts). It was like an epiphany and I literally keyboard smashed this out while I was meant to be watering my plants. So I'm chucking what I wrote into its own post cause I recently also found out that reblogs don't pop up when you use the search bar and I need more people to be aware of this.

Also cause I'm kinda surprised but how little Addams content there is - not in relation to the new Wednesday series - like, there is still a lot but I honestly thought there would be more. I also thought the Addams fandom on ao3 would be better but it is criminally lacking.